(Somers Point) -
New Jersey Department of Transportation
Commissioner James Simpson joined
Congressman Frank LoBiondo and state
and local officials today to mark
a major milestone in the construction
of the new $400 million Route
52 Causeway that spans Great Egg Harbor
Bay.

The gleaming concrete structure provides
a multimodal link for motorists, bicyclists
and pedestrians between the Jersey
Shore destinations of Somers Point
in Atlantic County and Ocean City
in Cape May County. It served as a
backdrop for today's event that started
with a speaking program in a park
in Somers Point and concluded with
a ribbon-cutting in Ocean City.

"This is a great way to kick
off the summer tourism season, with
the new causeway and bridges providing
safe and convenient access to this
stretch of the Jersey Shore," said
NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson. "The
Christie Administration understands
the connection between investments
in our transportation infrastructure
and a strong economy. Easing travel
to popular destinations enables
residents and visitors to support
local businesses while enjoying New
Jersey's natural beauty and recreational
opportunities."

Construction of two new bridges that
bookend the causeway was completed
earlier this month, enabling NJDOT
to open the permanent four-lane traffic
configuration that will greatly improve
safe and efficient travel across the
harbor. With the bridge construction
phase finished, workers now will turn
their attention to project amenities
and will complete the project by the
end of the year.

The causeway provides wider 12-foot
travel lanes as well as eight-foot-wide
shoulders and a 10-foot-wide walkway.
The old causeway had no walkway and
no shoulders to accommodate disabled
or emergency vehicles. The causeway
provides two travel lanes in each
direction and serves as a critical
evacuation route. Construction on
the causeway portion of the project
between the two bridges began in late
2006 and was completed in 2009.

A project feature that represents
a significant improvement is the elimination
of two lift bridges. Those moveable
bridges, at either end of the old
causeway, were a chronic source of
traffic congestion when they were
opened to allow boats to pass, especially
in the busy summer season when the
causeway accommodates as many as 40,000
cars daily. The new fixed spans that
have replaced the lift bridges provide
55 feet of vertical clearance and
allow marine traffic to pass with
no disruption to the flow of automobile
traffic.

The new causeway reflects the Department's
commitment to Complete Streets, by
providing a multi-use sidewalk for
pedestrians and bicyclists. The old
causeway, built in 1933, had no such
accommodations. The walkway extends
the full length of the project, separated
from the roadway shoulder by a railing.
Bicyclists from organizations that
advocate for safe accommodations for
all who share New Jersey roads attended
the event and rode across the bridge
with others who traveled by car or
trolley bus.

"Thousands of residents and
visitors will benefit from the improvements
associated with the causeway project
in our beautiful city, and we look
forward to the completion of other
project amenities that will keep Somers
Point among the premiere Jersey Shore
destinations," said Somers Point
Mayor Jack Glasser.

In Somers Point, MacArthur Boulevard
has been widened to include a center
turning lane, and the former Somers
Point Circle at the foot of the causeway
has been converted into a multiple-lane
four-way signalized intersection with
crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists.

"We appreciate NJDOT's efforts
to communicate and coordinate with
us since ground was broken on this
project in late 2006, and we look
forward to a spectacular summer season
for our restaurants and businesses
as tourists find it easier than ever
to enjoy all that Ocean City has to
offer," said Ocean City Mayor
Jay Gillian.

Work on additional bridge features
will continue through the end of the
year but will not impact traffic.
They include fishing areas along the
bridge, boat ramps, parking lots and
a reconstructed Ocean City Visitors
Center.

Including improvements to the roadway
approaches to the causeway in Somers
Point and Ocean City, the project
extends for about 3 miles, including
two miles of bridges and causeway.

NJDOT broke ground on the project
in October, 2006. The first phase
replaced the middle of the causeway,
from Elbow Island to Garrets Island,
a distance of 1.2 miles. That phase
was built under a $145 million contract
by George Harms Construction Co.

The second phase of the project started
in September, 2009. A $256 million
contract was awarded to Route 52 Constructors,
a joint venture of R.E. Pierson Construction
Co. and Wagman Construction Inc. The
contract included demolition of two
lift bridges and their replacement
with fixed spans over Ship Channel
near Somers Point and Beach Thorofare
near Ocean City.

Work under the second contract also
included construction of the multi-use
sidewalk, improvements in Somers Point
and other features that will be completed
by the end of 2012. The project is funded with a combination
of state and federal funds.